Stuart perry



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE.

STUART PERRY, OF NEWPORT, NEW YORK.

KEY.

Specicaton of Letters Patent No. 17,939, dated August 4, 1857.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, STUART PERRY, of Newport, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bank- Lock Keys; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a perspective view ofV the key,with its end closed by the cap. Fig. 2 represents a similar perspective view, with the cap turned to open the end of the key,

and the bits protruding therefrom. Fig. 3

represents in perspective, the shaft of the key with the bits, cam rings, and spring in' place all the other parts being removed. Fig. 4 represents in perspective a similar view with that in Fig. 3, with the bits alsol removed, but showing the cam rings in a different position. Fig. 5 represents a similar `view'wth that in Fig. 4, but with the cross head, and collar attached, and showing different portions of the cams. Fig. 6 rep-` resents the shaft of the key, divested of every other part of the key, except the cross head. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, represent in perspective the cam rings separated from each other and from the key shaft (there being two pieces like that shown in Fig. 8, but one only shown). Figs. 11 and 12, represent in perspective, broken views of the outside case of the key, and Figs. 13 and 14 represent respectively a front, and edge view of the key bits spread out.

Similar letters or marks of reference where they occur in the several figures, denote like parts of the key in all of them.

One of the chief peculiarities of this key consists in the so combining and operating the key bits, as that they `shall not only move, but their movements after arranging the key slides or tumblers of their respective locks, are comtinued in the same general di-f rection, whether they continue to move the said tumblers or slides after adjusting them, or not, and are so continued that their relative positions, by movements among themselves, are entirely changed, thus destroying all traces in the key hole of the extent of movement required of each for locking or unlocking.

Another prominent peculiarity of this invention is that, the key-bits when in operat-ion, change their relative positions before, and continue to change during the time of their action upon the key tumblers or slides for the purpose of adjusting them, as well as after adjusting, from, which it follows that, an impression cannot be taken from the key itself, with a design of making a false key that will unlock the same lock unless the precise point in-the operation, at which the key'bits adjust the tumblers or slides of the lock is known, which cannot be to a burglar, as this point differs in the keys of dierent locks.

The nature of myinvention may be stated therefore, as relating to a bank or store look key in which the bits have a movement before, during, and after the arranging of the tumblers or slides of the lock, for the purpose of destroying all traces of the extent of movement required for locking and unlocking the lock.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A, represents the shaft or shank of the key which has a longitudinal slot a in it, a collar or cap on the inner, or that end of it which is inserted in the key hole of the lock, and a cross head 0, on its other or outer end. The cap and cross-head are removable and connected to the shank or shaft A, by a pin or screw, or any other convenient device. The several parts of the key having been previously prepared, as represented in the drawings, and as will be hereafter enumerated, they are placed upon the shaftl or shank in the following manner, and order. A spiral spring 0, is first slipped onto the shaft, and up to and against the collar or cap a ring washer d, Figs. 3, 4, 5, is next run on against which, and against the collar I), it the spring presses and acts. Next, acam ring D, is placed on the shaft, its top fitting snugly to the washer d, and its lower part furnished with a cam projection e. Around the periphery of the cam ring D, are arranged a series of cogs or projections f, over which are placed the recesses g, in the key bits h, Figs. 3, 13, 14. Next to the cam ring D, is placed another cam ring E, (shown separately in Fig. 8). This latter cam ring E, has two cam projections k, lc,

upon it, and on its interior, a feather or tongue z', which fits into the longitudinal slot a, cut in the key shaft.

The cam ring D, can not only slide longitudinally upon the key shaft A, but can also turn around the axis of said shaft; but the cam ring E, can only move longitudinally on the shafts-its feather or tongue z', preventing it fromturning except with the key shaft. Next, a cam ring F, is slid onto the key shaft. one D, in having two cam projections y', j, upon it-one at each end of it, while the one D, has but a single cam e upon it. The cam ring F, is also furnished, around its periphery, with cogs or projections m, similar in number and form with those on the ring D, andthe number in both cases beingv the same as the number of key bits ZL, that are to be used for the special lock. Over these cogs m, the recesses Z, in the key bits h, are placed. Next to the cam F, is placed anvother cam ring, in all respects like that shown in Fig. 8, and which I have marked with the same letters of reference as that in said figure. And lastly the cam ring G, is run on, with its cam n, next to the cam j, of the preceding ring. The ring G, has but one cam, viz: that one which is on its upper side, the other side or end of it being square, so as to fit a collar H, on the end or nearly so of the key shaft. Over this collar H, a cap I, is screwed onto the outer case J, of the key, as shown in Fig. 11. The cross head C, is now keyed or fastened onto the key shaft A, and there is a cam plane 0, cut on the hub of the cross-head, and a similar cam plane formed in reverse on the cap I, the two shoulders of said planes coming together as seen in Fig. 11, so that the key shaft or cross head, must be drawn out enough to let the shoulders escape each other before the key shaftwill or ought to be turned.

` The case J, is a hollow cylinder, and of the length of the shaft, and large enough to slip over and inclose all the interior working parts of the key. The inner periphery of the case J, is slotted or grooved, as seen at r, Fig. 12, and the key bits la, fit into these grooves, and move therein as the cams on the cam rings are brought against each other. In Figs. 13 and 14, the key bits are represented as spread out, to show the gradually varying lengths of the recesses g, Z in them, but though they are all different, yet the sum of the lengths of the two recesses in each bit, will equal that of any other bit. This is important because any permutation, or combination of these key bit-s may be made, of which they are susceptible, and thus the key be changed every time. In Fig. 3, the cam rings, and bits are all shown in place, and ready to have the case J, slipped over them, or rather ready to be inserted into the case, which when This ring F, differs from the' done, and the collar, cross-head and cap arranged, the key, with the exception of the cap at its forward end, which will be described, is ready for use. The end of the case J, is provided with a cap K, which is furnished with a series of openings, as seen in Fig. 1, which correspond with the number of bits )in the key, as well as the number of grooves 1, in the case J. An opening s, is made in the cap K, and after the cap is placed over the end of the case, a stop u, is set in said opening s, and then screwed, or otherwise fastened to the barrel or case J. rl`he cap K, can turn to the extent of the opening s, or until the stop u checks it, and when it is turned in the position shown in Fig. 1, the ends of the key bits are covered, and they cannot be protruded from the case or barrel J. But when the cap K is turned as shown in Fig. 2, the openings in said cap are brought opposite the ends of the bits, and they can be run out by turning the cross head, and causing the cams on the rings D, E, F, E, G, to act against each other.

0n the last cam ring G of the series as described, there is a cog or tooth Q) (Fig. 5,) which takes into one of the grooves r of the barrel or case J so that said cam ring remains immovable around the axis of the key shaft, except when the case or barrel moves, though it may move longitudinally of the barrel. And in the collar H, Fig. 5, is a pin m, which takes into a hole made in the end .of the case or barrel J, and prevents the said collar and case from moving independent of each other. The cams E, E, must turn with the key shaft, but may at the samek time move endwise thereon, and the cams D, F, Gr, have a sliding movement on said shaft, but do not turn with the shaft. The projections f, m on the cams E, E, take into the recesses g, Z, in the key bits z., and when the shoulders of said recesses come against said projections, when. the points or throws of the several cams come against each other, the bits are protruded out of the end of the key, and they will continue to move out until the cams are exhaustedwthe key shaft continuing to move in the same direction, the spiral spring c, which had been compressed by the forward motion of the cams, now elongates and moves the cams and the -bits in the contrary direction, and the key bits are again returned into the case or barrel J. Now the exact point at which the key bits, in their motion, arrange the slides or tumblers of the lock, for operating the bolt, may be fixed at any part of the motion of said bits, and as the bits continue to move both before, during and after such an arrangement of the slides or tumblers, it would be impossible for a burglar or even a locksmith, to ascertain that point with any such exactitude, as would enable him to make a duplicate of the key, that Would open the lock to which it belongs.

I have represented the key as being round, and as containing sight bits, and ve cam rings. I do not confine myself to this shape, nor to those numbers of active parts, for the key may be square, oval, or any other shape, and the number of bits and cams increased or diminished, as the circumstances of the case may require. The key bits are susceptible of all the permutations or combinations, that any other of the fixed. adjustable bits of keys are, that have asimilar number with mine.

Having thus fully described the nature and object of my invention, What I claim set forth.

STUART PERRY. Witnesses:

JAS. H. PORTER, WiLLIAM CHAPMAN. 

